Mold and mold composition



06. COMPOSITIONS,

COATiNG OR PLAS'HC i i 1 3 i CROSS REFERENCE MOLD AND moan COMPOSITION Francis s. Kleeman, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse Electric & Mann! pany, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of acturing Com- No Drawing. Application July 31,1942,

=Serial No. 453,035.

8 Claims.

This invention relates to molds, and particu- 'larly'to foraminous molds and mold compositions.

Heretofore many attempts have been made to produce foraminous molds and many suggestions have been made for increasing the porosity of 'existingmold material. Such porosity is desirable and necessary in order that air and gas will exude through the walls of the mold cavity during the pouring of metal into the mold.

Sand molds are known to be somewhat porous but it has been impossible to obtain smooth surfaces with such material. Recently a gypsum mold has been produced having a fair degree of porosity, but such material is limited in strength as well as being limited in use, since it has been found impossible to employ such gypsum molds for the pouring of ferrous metals.

It is an object of this invention to provide a v.

foraminous foundry mold.

Another object of this invention is to provide a foraminous foundry mold consisting mainly of silica flour and a binder.

A more specific obJect is to provide a foundry mold composition suitable for the making of a foraminous mold.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the appended claims.

In practicing this invention, a mixture of gig flour, water glass and itch, to'which a meda Jan-M termined amount of wa er is added, is utilized as the basic mold composition. In general, the composition comprises a mixture of from 65% to 95% silica flour having a very fine particle size,-frorn 4% to 18% water glass and from 2% to 18% pitch, and from 8 to 17 parts of water added to 100 parts of the mixture. Preferably the silica flour employed has such a'fineness that-90 to 95% of the flour passes through a 2'70 mesh sieve with the balance passing through a 200 mesh sieve. The pitch also'has a'fine particle sizebeing of the order of between 100 and 200 mesh. 1 The water glass acts as a binder for the silica flour while the pitch, either coke orgg trg'lew pitch, is utilized for rendering the resulting mold porous. Preferably, the mold composition consists of a mixture of,65% to 85 'silic flour, 5% to 18% of water lass and 5% to 15% fiitcn with from 8 to T7 parts of water added to 1 parts of themixture. i

The very fine grain' size of .the' silica flour is necessary in order toproduce 1a mold having an extremely smooth surface or skin. The water gl s e Jan tteream; to t amel ai ing found that where less than 4% water glass is employed that the resulting mold crumbles and flakes. The strength of the mold is greatly increased by increasing the amount of binder employed although 18% of water glass appears to be the maximum which can be satisfactorily utilized and still retain the required porosity in the mold without undue shrinkage during the baking of the mold as described hereinafter.

The limits of the range of the water glass content give'n hereinbefore are established for a 32% sodium silicate solution, such. solution emg .rea 0 arm one 11 market. Of course, it is understood that if the concentration of the sodium silicate solution is varied that the limits of the water glass content of the composition will vary accordingly, smaller quantities of water -"glass being necessary where the solution is more concentrated.

-duce a green mold having good strength and re- The ramming of the mold composition "can be by hand .orunder production of pattern detail.

pressure, it being noted that the bestreproduc- 'tion of detail of the pattern is obtained where the mold composition is rammed under pressure as high-as four tons to the square inch. I -'-"-After ramming the mold composition in the flask, the flask is readily removed and the green mold is then placed in a suitable oven and subfjected to a temperature preferably between 500 C. and 760 C. for a period of time of V2 o 5 hours to free it of .ail volatile matter. --Lower temperatures down to about 300 C. can however be employed provided that the baking time is correspondingly increased. Preferably, the green mold is baked'on grids in a furnace with the grids having a minimum contact supporting surface. -low expansion andcontraction characteristics and good strength at temperatures up to the baking temperature. Inbaking'the mold, it is preferably heated up to the baking temperature in steps beginning 'as'lowas C. and cooled in the furnace in steps from the baking temperature to about {20010. {before exposing it'to the roomatmospher'el' Aheat ing and cooling rate abbut 97"?- P gives e e-resist nt Peing found that fas'terrates cause p n rg g amine.

to form in the mold. In general, a baking time of A of an hour per inch of mold thickness is required at a baking temperature of 760 C. During the baking substantially all of the volatile constituents of the homogeneously distributed pitch and the volatile constituent of the sodium silicate solution are driven oil leaving a homogeneously distributed network of voids throughout the mold.

In order to insure against sticking of the cast metal in the mold, it is preferred to apply a thin film of a mold wash to the mold. The mold wash may be applied by spraying or brushing the mold. A mold wash of plumbago blackening (1% to plumbago with mfiommercial alcohol) gases through the mold walls during the pouring ofacasting.

Since the composition has a relatively low moisture content, it is possible to bake the rammed green mold quite rapidly without excessive thermal shock being encountered. Be-

: cause of the fineness of the pitch and the fineness of the silica flour employed as the base of the molding composition, it is possible to obtain an extremely smooth surface on the mold which facilitates the making of good castings. Further, the molds produced in accordance with this invention can be employed in the casting of many different types of metals, including the ferrous l5 metals as well as the non-ferrous metals. \2 ofwkhnsee 911 iqws lm 1s easlly sprayed The materials involved in making the mold of on the surface of the mold, or dry plumbago may this invention are relatively inexpensive comparbe brushed directly onto the surface of the mold.

. mg favorably with the cost of the known com- The mold Wash preferably apphed to the green positions on both weight and volume basis. mold so that the normal baking of the green mold will remove all volatile matter from the wash. mtherlmsposslbletoreclann the moldmg com- However' the wash may be applied to the mold position of this invention after it has been emafter the baking treatment in which case it is ployed in w casting S, uch reclaiming then necessary to subject the sprayed mold to anbeing readily accomphshed by pulvenFmg the other baking treatment atatemperature of about used mold to fineness where Passes 20y for a period of time of about to 2a through a 270 mesh sieve and then adding water sure the removal of all volatile matter. Good glass and Pitch Water in P edetermined castings have been produced from all such preamounts. after whlch the composltmn y be pared mums rammed to again form a green mold and baked to Asexamples of different mold compositions, the drive off the volatile matters and p o ide the constituents of which are within the range given foraminous structure. hereinbefore and the results obtained after baking Although this invention has been described to remove the volatile constituents reference may with reference to a particular embodiment therebe had to the following table: of, it is, of course, not to be limited thereto ex- C ompgsitiqn Data on baked mold I Mix No. q Dry I hMdold 311(1):? 21222 Pitch Water Dry shear 122 2 :2

Per cent Per cent Parts Lba/sg. in.

10 5 l5 14 70 100 1.16 15 m 10 17 51.0 100 1. 0s l5 l0 15 Over 70 100 1.11 10 15 15 28 13.2 98 0.91 15 15 15 45.8 99 0.96 15 15 l0 5? s5 99 0.99

The baked molds have excellent physical charcept insofar as is necessitated by the scope of the acteristics and permeability. The dry permeappended claims. ability listed in the table is the number of cubic I claim asmy invention: centimeters of air which it is possible to pass 1. A foundry mold composition comprising, a through the baked mold per minute as found by mixture of 65% to 95% silica flour, 4% to 18% "the standard AFA permeability test, and is an water glass, and 2% to 18% pitch, and from 8 to excellent indication of the amount of voids pres- 17 parts of water added to 100 parts of the mixent in the baked mold. ture.

Although the results listed in the table are 2..A foundry mold composition comprising a based on the baked mold, the green mold commixture of 65% to 95% silica flour, the silica flour position also has excellent strength. As indicahaving a predominating particle size not larger the of the strength of the green mold, reference than 270 mesh, 4% to 18% water glass, and 2% maybe had tothe shear and compression strength to 18% pitch, and from 8 to 17 parts of water of the green mold composition identified in the added to 100 parts of the mixture. foregoing table as mix No. 22. This particular 3. A foundry mold composition comprising, a mix had a green shear strength of 2 lbs. per mixture of to 85% silica flour, 5% to 18% square inch and a green compression strength 65 of a 32% sodium silicate solution, and 5% to 18% of 9.6 lbs. per square inch. Comparable results pitch, and from 8 to 17 parts of water added to can be obtained with other compositions within 100 parts of the mixture. the man e given hereinbefore, 4. A foundry mold composition comprising, a

The mold and mold composition of this invenmixture of 65% to 85% silica flour, the silica flour tion makes it possible to produce smooth castings having a predominating particle size not larger in minute detail within tolerances of a few than 270 mesh, 5%to 18% of a 32% sodium silithousandths of an inch. Further, since the cate solution, and 5% to 18% pitch, and from 8 strength of the baked material is extremely high, to 17 parts of water added to 100 parts of the it is possible to form molds having very thin walls mixture. thereby further facilitating the escape of air or 5. A foundry mold composition consisting of 106. COMPOSITIONS, KtrtKtNut COATING R PLAS'WE 8 3 "a Examiner 70% silica flour, of a 32% sodium silicate solution, and 15% pitch, and 10 parts of water added to 100 parts of the mixture.

6. A mold comprising, a foraminous body composed of the residue of a mixture of to silica flour, 4% to 18% water glass and 2% to 18% pitch, and 8 to 17 parts of water to parts of the mixture, treated at an elevated temperature to remove the volatile matter therefrom, the rmidue being substantially homogeneous in composition and having voids distributed substantially evenly therethrough.

7. A mold comprising, a foraminous body composed mainly of silica flour bonded by sodium silicate, the foraminous body being formed by subjecting a rammed mixture of 65% to 85% silica flour, 5% to 18% of a 32% sodium silicate solution and 5% to 18% pitch, and 8 to 17 parts of water to 100 parts of the mixture, to a temperature between 500 C. and 760 C. for a period of time of A: to 5 hours.

8. A mold comprising, a foraminous body composed mainly of silica flour and sodium silicate as a binder therefor, the foraminous body being formed from a mixture of 70% silica flour, 15% 

